Hallandale topples water tower

HALLANDALE BEACH — An aging and costly water tower bid its final farewell Thursday morning.

The 62-year-old robin's egg blue tank lost its legs one by one until it weakened and crashed about 10 a.m. But its counterpart, the city's iconic beach ball tower, remains untouched.

"Since I was 6 years old, this tower has been here. I remember playing under it … playing Little League at the park. It's the end of an era. It's one of those historical moments," said longtime resident Jerry Dobak.

The city retired and drained the 200,000-gallon tower two weeks earlier after determining that it was too old and too expensive to repair for something that was no longer needed. The city built a new water system that reduced the demand for the tank, said city spokesman Peter Dobens.

"We all had mixed emotions because it was a piece of history in Hallandale, but it cost too much," said Vice Mayor Alex Lewy, who estimated that it would cost at least $200,000 to repair it.

The tower at 501 SE First Ave., three blocks west of Federal Highway and six blocks south of Hallandale Beach Boulevard, was built in 1951 as part of the city's first water plant.

Crews cut the two front legs and the water pump in the middle, then attached a cable to the structure to pull it down. .

It took three attempts before the tower collapsed onto the field. The tank bounced once before settling on the ground, leaving a massive crater in the dirt.

"We had to jerk it a little," said Bob Santure of H2O Towers, the company hired to do the demolition. "It was hard to get traction on the field — on concrete we can get more traction." The construction crews plan to cut the lid and sides off of the tower and remove the scrap metal within five days.

Marco Rojas, who lives across from the park along Southeast Eighth Street, came out to watch the toppling after he heard news helicopters circling the area and saw droves of people congregated along his street.

"I thought somebody was chasing someone, that it was a crime or something," said Rojas, who was stunned by how quickly the tower came down. "It took three seconds to destroy it — that's it."

Others thought the tower might not come down at all after seeing the tractor try to pull it down twice without any luck.

"It was pretty spectacular. When I saw the bulldozer try, I thought it wasn't going to happen but then it came down pretty smoothly, like something you see in a movie," said Harold Davis of Hollywood.

Residents concerned that the city's landmark beach ball tower near A1A and Hallandale Beach Boulevard is next shouldn't worry, said city officials.